VELLORE: A Panchayat president and two others, who were allegedly involved in mining sand illegally, were arrested by the police.
The police also charged the trio with preventing a government employee from discharging his duty.
According to police, Anandan (51), president of Narayanapuram panchayat, along with Thirupathi and Muniraj, was mining sand from the Narayanapuram Lake. They had loaded the sand onto a tractor and were leaving the spot.
On information, Arivazhagan, the village assistant, went to the spot and tried to stop them. However, the trio refused to pay heed to him and reportedly abused him, said the police.
Following this, Arivazhagan informed the Vaniyambadi Tahsildar S Shanthi, who in turn, lodged a complaint at the Thimmampettai police station. A case was registered under sections 353, 379 and 430 of IPC read with 21 of Mines and Minerals Act against the trio. The police arrested them and confiscated an earthmover and a tractor-trolley used for sand-mining activity.